Hanoi to end use of deadly stoves

Hanoi (VNA) - Hanoi plans to stop the use
of beehive-shaped coal bricks by 2020 as part of measures to improve air
quality and living conditions, according to the municipal Department of Natural
Resources and Environment.

The move was made following a recent survey by
the department’s environmental office which revealed that Hanoi has about
55,000 beehive coal stoves, which burn a total of more than 528 tonnes of coal
each day, filling the air with carbon dioxide.

The survey, carried out on 23 out of 30
districts and suburban districts of Hanoi last year, showed that about 63
percent of coal burners were used in urban districts, mostly by small
restaurants and food shops along pavements.

Le Thanh Thuy, a representative from the
department, said the use of the coal stoves was one of the key sources of
environmental pollution. Other sources included a huge amount of fumes from
vehicles, construction sites and the burning of rubbish.

Many people know the environmental harm of using
an earthenware stove with coal, but it remains a habit for many
Vietnamese. Many families in both rural and urban areas use them to overcome
the rising costs of gas and electricity.

Nguyen Thi Hanh from Bach Khoa ward, Hai Ba
Trung district, said she still used a stove with coal to cook, although she had
a gas cooker.

“I prefer using coal stove as it is cheaper,
particularly when you have to braise food like meat and fish. Besides, I have
been using it for a long time and find it hard to get rid of it,” she said.

However, Le Hoai Thu, a mother of two, in Hoang
Mai district, said she felt uncomfortable to see some of her neighbours still
using the cookers.

“I can’t stand their smell. Inhaling carbon
dioxide released from coal burners is harmful to your health, especially
children. I have to close all the windows and doors of my house whenever my
neighbours burn the coal,” she said.

According to experts, the use of beehive coal
poses serious threats to health. They normally produce carbon dioxide, but in
unventilated rooms, they start to produced deadly carbon monoxide, which is a
killer.

Once inhaled, carbon monoxide molecules bind to
the oxygen-carrying sites in red blood cells, cutting off the supply of oxygen
to the body, especially the brain. Gradually, those exposed to the substance
lose consciousness and face permanent brain damage from oxygen deprivation, if
not death.

Statistics of the Poisoning Prevention Centre
under the Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital show that dozens of patients need
treatment for coal air poisoning per year, and many people die.

As part of the plan to end the use of the
stoves, the environment office has chosen Ba Dinh and Hoan Kiem districts to
pilot a campaign to raise public awareness while introducing new kinds of
stoves using clean fuel.

The department recently singed an agreement with
the SNV, a Netherlands Development Organisation, on a programme to pilot the
use of environmentally friendly stoves in the capital city.

Mai Trong Thai, head of the Hanoi Environmental
Protection Department, told the Kinh te và Do thi (Economic and Urban
Affairs) newspaper that the city targeted to reduce 70 percent of beehive
stoves this year and totally stop their use by 2020.

Under the pilot programme, citizens in Ba Dinh
and Hoan Kiem districts can borrow stoves that use clean fuels to use for one
month. From February to April this year, people will enjoy a discount of 30-40
percent to buy them.

The SNV organisation claims that the stoves have
been "strictly tested" for exhaust levels, safety and fuel
efficiency. Fuels for the stoves are said to meet international standards.-VNA